A bold, resonant plea to dismantle structures that exclude based on gender, paving the way for universal access to services, knowledge, and justice.

“As a young woman with a disability, I wake up every day hoping and wishing for a world where I can live freely like everybody else. To go to where I want and go back home at the time I want without fear of using public transport at night or walking from/to where I want at any time. I believe that I have full rights. People with full rights don’t need protection, they demand and need lives free of the violence of any kind or form,” writes Nairobi from Kenya.

In 2021, CREA, a feminist international human rights organization based & led by women from the Global South worked via the Women Gaining Ground consortium with Akili Dada, IWRAW Asia Pacific, and partners in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda to highlight ‘Your Protection Doesn’t Protect Me’. The campaign “Your Protection Doesn’t Protect Me” was launched on 25 November 2021 with the message:

“People with full rights don’t need protection, they demand lives free of violence”

“We need to dismantle structures that exclude people based on gender and enable access to services, information, and justice.” Over the course of two weeks, the campaign attracted global South-based activists, particularly girls and women with disabilities, about why protectionist approaches to end GBV don’t serve their realities, and the rights-affirming ways forward they want to see instead.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the global 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence (GBV), CREA began the Your Protection Doesn’t Protect Me campaign. As it recommits to ending every day GVB, the campaign also asserts that feminist movements, policymakers, legal bodies, and institutions must find more affirmative approaches to move forward.

To end GBV, people want rights-based solutions NOT protectionist approaches. Girls and women, including those with disabilities, and trans and non-binary persons are indispensable change-makers when they are empowered to explore, discuss, and act on GBV issues both locally and globally.

We worked on typographical posters, logos, and GIFs in three languages—Hindi, Bangla & English all centred around the theme to be loud and grab the reader’s attention.

Inequitable gender norms remain the root cause of GVB across the globe. GVB is also a significant barrier to the achievement of every development outcome. Campaigns like these offer an important opportunity to step back and consider what we can do all year long to put an end to gender-based violence.